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- DictionaryThe benefit of the doubt
- ▪ a concession that a person or statement must be regarded as correct or justified, if the contrary has not been proven
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Jul 31, 2024 · The meaning of THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT is the state of accepting something/someone as honest or deserving of trust even though there are doubts. How to use the benefit of the doubt in a sentence.
to believe something good about someone, rather than something bad, when you have the possibility of doing either: I didn't know whether his story was true or not, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Believing. accept. allegedly.
If you give someone the benefit of the doubt, you treat them as if they are telling the truth or as if they have behaved properly, even though you are not sure that this is the case. At first I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Benefit of the doubt definition: a favorable opinion or judgment adopted despite uncertainty.. See examples of BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT used in a sentence.
The meaning of BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT is the advantage derived from doubt about guilt, a possible error, or the weight of evidence.
a judgment in one's favor when the evidence is neither for one nor against one. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give someone ~.) I was right between a B and an A. I got the benefit of the doubt — an A. I thought I should have had the benefit of the doubt, but the judge made me pay a fine. See also: benefit, doubt, of.
give the benefit of the doubt. Regard someone as innocent until proven otherwise; lean toward a favorable view of someone. For example, Let's give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she's right. [Mid-1800s] See also: benefit, doubt, give, of.
